GAME PREVIEW: Aces Road Swing Continues with Saturday Tilt vs. Mystics
WASHINGTON, DC (August 25, 2023)—The Las Vegas Aces (30-4) four-game road swing continues Saturday, with a 4 pm PT tip against the Washington Mystics (15-18). The game is being broadcast locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.
The Aces have sewn up at least a top two seed in the WNBA postseason, and they lead the second place New York Liberty by 3.5 games with 6 to play. The 7th place Mystics could still finishes as high as 4th, or miss the playoffs entirely.
2023 STANDINGS |
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Team | W | L | GB | Pct | |
1 | Las Vegas | 30 | 4 | — | .882 |
2 | New York | 26 | 7 | 3.5 | .788 |
3 | Connecticut | 23 | 11 | 7.0 | .676 |
4 | Dallas | 18 | 16 | 12.0 | .529 |
5 | Minnesota | 17 | 17 | 13.0 | .500 |
6 | Atlanta | 16 | 17 | 13.5 | .485 |
7 | Washington | 15 | 18 | 14.5 | .455 |
8 | Los Angeles | 14 | 18 | 15.0 | .438 |
— | —————— | —- | —- | —— | —— |
9 | Chicago | 13 | 21 | 17.0 | .382 |
10 | Indiana | 10 | 24 | 20.0 | .294 |
11 | Seattle | 10 | 24 | 20.0 | .294 |
12 | Phoenix | 9 | 24 | 20.5 | .273 |
Las Vegas won the first meeting between the teams back on August 11 in a 113-89 victory at Michelob ULTRA Arena. A’ja Wilson scored what was then a career- and franchise-high 40 points, and added 12 rebounds while making 17 of 25 shots from the field. Chelsea Gray added 19 points and 10 assists as she reached the 3,500-point career scoring plateau. The third and final game of the series between the teams this year is scheduled for August 31 in Las Vegas.
The Aces Big 4 of Gray, Kelsey Plum, Wilson and Young are firing off career-high seasons in various categories.
Gray, who is dishing out a franchise-high 7.3 assists, is posting highs of 15.2 points and 3.9 rebounds. Plum’s shooting from the field overall (.482) and from 2-point range (.554) are her best shooting performances since joining the league in 2017. Wilson is currently posting career-highs of 22.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 54.3 percent from the field, and Young has increased her scoring to 18.3 points a game on career-bests 53.3 percent from the field overall, 58.5 percent from 2-point range and a league-high 45.8 percent from 3-point.
The Mystics, which have seen their fair share of injuries this season, have dropped 8 of their last 11 games, and have had just 4 players see action in at least 30 games, led by Brittney Sykes (33 games), who is posting 15.3 points and 3.8 assists a game.
Elena Delle Donne, the 33-year-old two-time MVP and 7-time All-Star, has played in just one game since the All-Star Break, an Aug. 18 victory at Indiana in which she scored 6 points in 11 minutes. Delle Donne, who averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 16 games this year, missed the first clash between the two teams this season and is listed as probable for tomorrow.
Natasha Cloud, listed as questionable for tomorrow, played in 30 games and produced 12.9 points and 5.7 assists for the Mystics; while 2020 Olympic gold medalist Ariel Atkins (22 games, 12.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg) and Shakira Austin (16 games, 10.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg) round out the Mystics top five scoring threats.
NEXT UP
The Aces complete their road trip on Monday, Aug. 28, with a 4 pm PT tip against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. That game is being nationally broadcast on ESPN2